And in excellent shape Pacquiao was as the current pound-for-pound king finished the 12-round battle for the vacant World Boxing Council super welterweight title match not only the victor. He also looked as if he can still fight for another 12 rounds the same night.

Critics have doubted Pacquiao’s conditioning as he has been juggling his time between training and activities not related to boxing.

It turned out that what Pacquiao told the Manila Standard during his Baguio City camp about him needing those criticisms to prove them wrong was a sincere statement from the newly minted eight-division world champion.

Pacquiao may have been thinking, “Thank you to all critics and here’s wishing your tribe may finally start to decrease.”

The situation just moments before the fight also proved how tough Pacquiao is when dealing with psychological warfare thrown at him by his opponents.

During Pacquiao’s turn to wrap his hands, Margarito’s representatives, of all people, accused the Filipino of putting those tapes and gauges the wrong way.

Truly, it takes one to know one.

“Tinawanan lang ni Manny ‘yung gusto ng Margarito camp na mali ‘yung ginawa ni Manny sa handwraps. Nakakatawa, kasi si Margarito nga ang may record na naglalagay ng kung anong illegal sa handwraps nya,” said associate Wakee Salud, who is part of Team Pacquiao at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

Early this week, Margarito’s beleaguered trainer Javier Capetillo finally came out in the open and admitted to Ring Magazine’s Dough Fischer that he indeed loaded up Margarito’s handwraps with hardeners.

Capetillo’s revelation did not help Margarito, whose focus was not only to prepare for Pacquiao, but also to deal with accusations of him being a cheater.

Trainer Freddie Roach, in sensing that their opponent was poised to gang up on Pacquiao by insisting on that supposed illegal hand-wraps, came to the rescue.

Himself a psywar master, Roach made an issue out of a bottle they saw inside Margarito’s dugout, which was bared by the trainer’s friend Billy Keanne, who was inside to inspect the Mexican’s handwraps.

Roach insisted a blood test to be done as he deemed the bottle, said to be Hydroxycut, as an illegal substance meant to give Margarito undue advantage.

Texas officials, however, saw no need to do an immediate test as a mandatory urine analysis will follow after the fight.

Whether in skills, psychological game and conditioning, Pacquiao was truly dominating and unstoppable during his big night in Dallas.

Dennis Principe, Manila Standard Today